Ryan Gosling explains how his family helped inject him with the necessary Kenergy for ‘Barbie’

Barbie is closing in on its theatrical bow, and if there was ever a 2023 summer blockbuster that looked ready to serve on just about every front, Greta Gerwig‘s existential yarn about a pair of beloved children’s toys would be it. Indeed, from the set design to the heightened characterization to the fact that we still barely have a clue what we’re in for, Barbie has just about everything going for it.

It helps, of course, to have a pair of magnetic leads in Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, as they venture into the eldritch realm of the real world after being expelled from Barbie Land for not being perfect.

Gosling in particular looks to be relishing the opportunity to don the shoes (and cowboy hat) of Ken, with the main trailer in particular showing off his real-life doll energy to near perfection.

According to Gosling himself, he had some world-class trainers in that department. In a recent interview with ET Online, the Gray Man star cited his daughters, Esmeralda and Amada, as his greatest source of inspiration for building his character, noting that they were prominent members of many a test audience, and Gosling didn’t sleep on their expertise.

“They’ve seen a lot pieces of [the film], and helped me a lot with it. They were huge inspiration for me.”

It looks like we have two young producers in the making to thank for what will no doubt be a rousing performance from the leading man, so we’ll be sure to keep an eye out for the proper dedications in the film’s credits; they deserve much more than a “Special Thanks.”

Barbie is due in theaters on July 21.